For the past 30 years, Janet Jones has beaten the odds facing entrepreneurs in Detroit.

First, she has run a brick-and-mortar bookstore in an age of online bookselling. Next, she did it in Detroit during the worst part of the city's economic crisis. And third, she did it as a woman of color, perhaps the group of entrepreneurs facing the most obstacles.

Jones' bookstore, The Source, located on Cass in Midtown, is one of the winners in the latest round of the NEIdeas small-business competition sponsored by the New Economic Initiative.

The bookstore is one of 26 existing small businesses in Detroit that will each get $10,000 to carry out improvements or expansions.

Now in its fifth year, the NEIdeas Small Business Challenge aims to help existing “been-up” (as opposed to "startup") businesses in southeast Michigan. So far, NEIdeas has awarded a total of $2.16 million to 144 businesses in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.

Jones and other winners will be recognized Thursday evening in a ceremony at the Fisher Building in Detroit's New Center district.

Jones, 81, spent 40 years as an educator in Detroit Public Schools and began selling books across the table at fairs and events, the equivalent of today's "pop-up" retail. She has run a brick-and-mortar store since 2002.

She credits "first opportunity, then courage" for making a go of her store over the years. And it helps that her bookstore tries hard to serve her local community, offering books on history and culture, health and well-being, metaphysics and spirituality, and books by and about women. She also convenes author appearances and other special events.

Pam Lewis, NEI's director, said the NEIdeas awards are a tribute to entrepreneurs like Jones.

“Though they might lack capital and connections to resources, neighborhood small businesses have no shortage of great ideas for growth,’’ Lewis said. “The NEIdeas challenge accomplished what we set out to do — connecting been-up businesses to a network of support that can help them realize their ambitions and thrive. We’re thrilled to honor another group of neighborhood entrepreneurs and businesses who mean so much to their communities.”